26o BEACH GRASS 



arise from the back and form the upper tail 

 coverts. He walks with mincing steps, turning 

 this way and then that, so that his beauty may 

 be seen from all points by the hen who walks 

 carelessly by. Seen from in front, his blue-green 

 head and neck with black and white face markings 

 and tufted plumes stand out like a Chinese jade 

 carving in the center of a concave sea-shell of 

 shimmering green, embossed at regular intervals 

 with eyes of marvelous beauty and detail. From 

 behind, the stiff gray tail feathers supporting the 

 shell are seen to be set off below by an abundance 

 of black and white down. The wings of brown 

 and blue frame the sides. Suddenly the peacock 

 turns and flashes the full radiance of his beauty 

 directly at the hen, he vibrates his downward 

 stretched wings and quivers his stiff tail feathers 

 so that they give forth a sound of rattling reeds. 

 The green disk is thereby set all of a tremble in 

 time with this instrumental music, the great bird 

 bows towards the object of his affection, emits a 

 raucous cry, and the green, quivering sea-shell 

 curves beseechingly towards her. Who can resist 

 such fascination *? 



